By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – THE Benin National Congress (BNC) on Monday commended the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakra Kyari in the peace he is trying to restore in the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) which has been troubled by leadership crisis and also called on security agencies to investigate attempts by some disgruntled individuals who it said were trying to scuttle the peace in the pace through fictitious media publications.

The group pointed fingers at an unnamed staff whom it alleged was found guilty over illegal sales of oil palm seedlings and other sundry allegations of being behind the said publication against the Research Institute.

BNC in a press release in Benin City, signed by its Vice President, Pastor Amadin Owas insisted that at no time did any elders forum called for any purported CEO selection result test adding that there is no crisis in NIFOR.

Rather, he said the present administration in place at NIFOR has achieved some milestones in the area of staff welfare, research, stable power supply, water among others.

The group also reminded distracters that the pending issue over the leadership is being resolved by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security adding that they are the legal cases that resulted from the appointment and the unfortunate cancellation of Dr Napoleon O. Aisueni as Director/Chief Executive Officer of NIFOR.

Part of the statement reads that “Our investigation showed that the current administration has prioritized research and staff welfare since its inception. The current administration made transportation available to reduce staff transportation cost by more than 70%, provided palliatives to staff members of the NIFOR including generous Christmas welfare packages; the first they have ever experienced since the inception of the Institute.

“These are a small fraction of the achievements within one year of the new administration. A peep at the details of their 2025 budget will provide you an insight into the efforts at rediscovering the glory days of NIFOR.

“BNC findings however showed that the ominous publication was allegedly sponsored by a cohort of aggrieved/retrogressive staff of NIFOR led by a management staff that was found guilty of illegal sales of oil Palm seedlings including sales of experimental oil palm seedlings of his junior colleagues.

“The current administration found out through a panel that he had engaged himself in these fraudulent practices over the years. The publication was therefore done to draw negative attention to the Institute.

“The Benin National Congress (BNC) respectfully call on the Nigeria’s Security and Intelligence community to investigate and arrest the authors of the publication on social media, reason being that, it is a direct attempt at destabilizing the state through misinformation and calculated act of spreading fake news to the Nigerian Society”.